Authenticated privilege escalation via unchecked role write
Published Dec 17, 2025 · Updated Dec 17, 2025
Privilege escalation in Belden HiSecOS 04.0.01 allows remote authenticated users to gain administrative privileges via NETCONF XML. The /mops_data handler accepts an edit-config request that writes hm2UserAccessRole value 15 for the authenticated account without enforcing its current role. The attack requires valid credentials and network access to the HTTPS management endpoint; it changes the attacker's own role to administrator.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Belden HiSecOS 04.0.01 allows remote authenticated users to gain administrative privileges via NETCONF XML. The /mops_data handler accepts an edit-config request that writes hm2UserAccessRole value 15 for the authenticated account without enforcing its current role. The attack requires valid credentials and network access to the HTTPS management endpoint; it changes the attacker's own role to administrator.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-53908
- Published
- Dec 17, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 17, 2025
- Vendor
- Belden
- Product
- HiSecOS
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 17, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=04.0.01
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- HiSecOS 04.0.01 Privilege Escalationfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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